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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

MONTEVALLO – A new semester of learning has been emboldened by an exciting new metric at the University of Montevallo, as administrators announce the school’s welcoming of the largest freshman class in over a decade.

According to the University of Montevallo, the university started this latest fall semester with a total enrollment of 3,142 students, which stands at a roughly 5.4 percent increase from last year’s fall semester.

As this semester began on Wednesday, Aug. 21, that student count included 592 incoming freshmen, the school’s largest freshman class since fall 2012. The freshman class in particular saw a 10.6 percent increase compared to last year’s count.

“Our focused efforts on marketing and enrollment over the past several years have yielded remarkable results,” said UM President Dr. John W. Stewart III. “The steady increase in enrollment reflects the exceptional teamwork, dedication and commitment of our Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Studies and University Marketing & Communications teams, among many others.”

Steward also commended the dedication of the university’s faculty and staff to the students, which he attributed to student attraction and retainment.

“Our strong academic reputation and world-class faculty continue to set us apart, while the addition of our nursing program and first doctoral offering have been pivotal in driving this impressive growth,” Stewart said.

Featured in 2024 as 20th in Regional Universities South, seventh in Top Public Schools and fourth in Best Value Schools in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings, the University of Montevallo also entered this semester having frozen tuition rates for the seventh straight year in a row with assurances that they will remain frozen for the entirety of the 2024-2025 academic year.

The University of Montevallo also starts this academic season fresh off of its reception of a designation as a college of distinction from Colleges of Distinction—an organization that seeks to highlight educational institutions nationwide and aid prospective students in choosing the college that is right for them.

The university’s new nursing program is also believed to have played a role in the increased freshman count, with its program offering a pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in nursing track and a registered nurse to BSN track. The program’s new nursing facilities, which celebrated their grand opening ribbon cuttings this February, are located in Myrick Hall, which has undergone extensive renovations ahead of the new school year.

The University has also announced that it will host its annual Preview Days events on Monday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 16. Those events will serve as interactive, college welcoming events that are tailored for interested high school and community college students.